U.S. patent number 7,178,611 [Application Number 10/811,118] was granted by the patent office on 2007-02-20 for system and method for directional drilling utilizing clutch assembly.
This patent grant is currently assigned to CDX Gas, LLC. Invention is credited to Joseph A. Zupanick.
United States Patent |
7,178,611 |
Zupanick |
February 20, 2007 |
System and method for directional drilling utilizing clutch
assembly
Abstract
According to one embodiment of the invention, a system for
directional drilling within a wellbore includes a drill string
having an upper portion, a lower portion, a bent motor coupled to
the lower portion, and a drill bit coupled to bent motor, and a
clutch assembly disposed between the upper and lower portions. The
clutch assembly is operable to disengage the upper and lower
portions of the drill string and allow the upper portion to rotate
while the lower portion does not rotate.
Inventors: |
Zupanick; Joseph A. (Pineville,
WV) |
Assignee: |
CDX Gas, LLC (Dallas,
TX)
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Family
ID: |
34963060 |
Appl.
No.: |
10/811,118 |
Filed: |
March 25, 2004 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20050211473 A1 |
Sep 29, 2005 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
175/75;
175/107 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E21B
7/067 (20130101); E21B 17/04 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
E21B
7/04 (20060101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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2 381 806 |
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May 2003 |
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GB |
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WO98/38410 |
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Sep 1998 |
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WO |
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Other References
Notification of Transmittal of the International Search Report and
the Written Opinion of the Internationl Searching Authority, or the
Declaration (3 pages), International Search Report (4 pages), and
Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority (5 pages)
for International Application No. PCT/US2005/008774 mailed Jun. 10,
2005. cited by other .
Maidla, E., et al., "Understanding Torque: The Key to
Slide-Drilling Directional Wells," IADC/SPE 87162, Society of
Petroleum Engineers, 7 pages, Mar. 2-4, 2004. cited by other .
Notification Concerning Transmittal of Copy of Internatinal
Preliminary Report on Patentability (1 page), International
Preliminary Report on Patentability (1 page), and Written Opinion
of the International Searching Authority (5 pages) for
International Application No. PCT/US2005/008774 mailed Oct. 5,
2006. cited by other.
|
Primary Examiner: Tsay; Frank S.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Fish & Richardson P.C.
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. A system for directional drilling within a wellbore, comprising:
a drill string comprising an upper portion, a lower portion, a bent
motor coupled to the lower portion, and a drill bit coupled to bent
motor; and a clutch assembly disposed between the upper and lower
portions, the clutch assembly operable to disengage the upper and
lower portions of the drill string such that the upper portion may
be rotated without rotating the lower portion.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein a length of the lower portion is
at least 1000 feet.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein a weight of the lower portion is
at least 10,000 pounds.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the clutch assembly comprises: a
housing rotatably coupled to the upper portion and the lower
portion; a piston having a passageway formed therein, the piston
comprising a plurality of spline teeth that align with respective
ones of a first set of channels formed in an inner wall of the
upper portion and with respective ones of a second set of channels
formed in an inner wall of the lower portion; and a biasing member
associated with the lower portion and exerting a longitudinal force
on the piston in the direction of the upper portion; and wherein
the spline teeth of the piston are selectively engageable with the
first set of channels to rotatably couple the upper portion with
the lower portion.
5. The system of claim 4, wherein the piston is isolated in an oil
bath.
6. The system of claim 4, further comprising a fluid pump operable
to control an amount of a fluid pumped through the drill string so
as to control the longitudinal position of the piston and the
engagement of the spline teeth of the piston with the first set of
channels.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the clutch assembly comprises: a
housing coupled to the upper portion; one or more flanges
associated with an upper end of the lower portion, the flanges
rotatably disposed within respective channels formed in the inside
wall of the housing; and one or more pistons each laterally
disposed within an associated chamber formed in a wall of the
housing; a biasing member disposed within each chamber and exerting
an inward force on the associated piston; and wherein each piston
is selectively engageable with an aperture formed in a wall of the
lower portion to rotatably couple the upper portion with the lower
portion.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein the housing is formed integral
with the lower end of the upper portion.
9. The system of claim 7, further comprising a passageway coupling
the chamber to an outside surface of the housing.
10. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more pistons
comprises a plurality of pistons existing at different longitudinal
and radial positions with respect to the housing.
11. The system of claim 7, further comprising a fluid pump operable
to control an amount of a fluid pumped through the drill string so
as to control the lateral position of the one or more pistons.
12. A system for directional drilling within a wellbore,
comprising: a drill string comprises an upper portion, a lower
portion, a bent motor coupled to the lower portion, and a drill bit
coupled to bent motor; and a ratchet assembly disposed between the
upper and lower portions, the ratchet assembly operable to
rotationally disengage the upper and lower portions of the drill
string and allow the upper portion to rotate while the lower
portion does not rotate.
13. The system of claim 12, wherein a length of the lower portion
is at least 1000 feet.
14. The system of claim 12, wherein a weight of the lower portion
is at least 10,000 pounds.
15. The system of claim 12, wherein the ratchet assembly comprises:
a housing rotatably coupled to the upper portion and the lower
portion; a first set of teeth associated with the upper portion; a
piston having a second set of teeth associated with the lower
portion; a biasing member associated with the lower portion and
exerting a longitudinal force on the piston in the direction of the
upper portion; and wherein the first and second set of teeth are
selectively engageable to allow the lower portion to rotate when
the upper portion rotates in a first rotational direction and to
allow the upper portion to rotate in a second rotational direction
opposite the first rotational direction without rotating the lower
portion.
16. A method for directional drilling within a wellbore,
comprising: flowing a fluid through a drill string disposed in a
wellbore at a first velocity; rotating a drill bit within the
wellbore; rotating an upper portion and a lower portion of the
drill string in a first rotational direction; flowing the fluid
through the drill string at a second velocity greater than the
first velocity, thereby disengaging the upper and lower portions of
the drill string such that the upper portion rotates without
rotating the lower portion; and continuing to rotate the drill bit
to alter the direction of the wellbore.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first velocity is
approximately 150 gallons per minute.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein the second velocity is greater
than approximately 150 gallons per minute.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein a length of the lower portion
is at least 1000 feet.
20. The method of claim 16, wherein the weight of the lower portion
is 10,000.
21. The method of claim 16, wherein disengaging the upper and lower
portions of the drill string comprises translating a piston into
the lower portion.
22. The method of claim 21, further comprising isolating the piston
in an oil bath.
23. The method of claim 16, wherein disengaging the upper and lower
portions of the drill string comprises translating a piston into a
housing associated with the upper portion.
24. A method for directional drilling within a wellbore,
comprising: rotating a drill bit within the wellbore; rotating an
upper portion and a lower portion of the drill string in a first
rotational direction; rotating the upper portion of the drill
string in a second rotational direction opposite the first
rotational direction, thereby rotationally disengaging the upper
and lower portions of the drill string such that the upper portion
rotates without rotating the lower portion; and continuing to
rotate the drill bit to alter the direction of the wellbore.
25. The method of claim 24, wherein a length of the lower portion
is at least 1000 feet.
26. The method of claim 24, wherein a weight of the lower portion
is at least 10,000 pounds.
27. A system for directional drilling within a wellbore,
comprising: a drill string defining a fluid passageway, and
comprising an upper portion, a lower portion, a bent motor coupled
to the lower portion, and a drill bit coupled to the bent motor;
and a clutch assembly disposed between the upper and lower
portions, the clutch assembly operable to disengage the upper and
lower portions of the drill string, in response to fluid flow
through the passageway, such that the upper portion may be rotated
without the lower portion.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to the field of drilling systems
and, more particularly, to a system and method for directional
drilling utilizing a clutch assembly.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Drilling wellbores in the earth, such as wellbores used for the
production of oil and gas, is a well established art. One type of
drilling system is rotary drilling, which uses a drill bit at the
end of a drill string to drill into the earth. At the surface, a
drilling rig controls the position and rotation of the drill string
below the surface. Underneath the surface, the drill bit is
attached to the drill string that transports drilling fluid to the
drill bit. The drilling fluid lubricates and cools the drill bit
and also functions to remove cuttings and debris from the wellbore
as it is being drilled.
While simple rotary drilling has been employed for many years,
directional drilling is becoming a more common drilling practice.
Directional drilling involves changing the direction of drilling as
needed to reach a desired wellbore endpoint, or to create a desired
wellbore pattern. For example, a whipstock may be inserted into the
wellbore and used to deflect the drill bit in the desired
direction. Another type of directional drilling involves the use of
bent motors in which a slight curvature of the bent motor allows
steering of the direction of the wellbore. To steer using a bent
motor, rotation of the drill string is halted while allowing the
drill bit to continue to rotate. Because the bent motor is slightly
angled and because the drill string is not rotating, the drill
string is effectively steered in the direction of the bend of the
motor as the drill bit continues to move forward. This "directional
drilling" may be difficult due to static friction between the
non-rotating drill string and wall of the wellbore, especially for
long drill strings.
Prior techniques for overcoming this static friction condition
include "rocking" or "winding up" the drill string. This process
utilizes the torsional flexibility of the drill pipe to allow
short, cyclical reversing of the direction of rotation of the drill
pipe. In this process, the drill pipe is quickly rotated
back-and-forth at the surface, yet borehole friction prevents the
torque from being transmitted to, or changing the orientation of
the bent motor assembly. Vibrating the pipe with either a surface
or down-hole vibrating device may also be employed to overcome
static friction. Additionally, rotary steerable systems may be
used, in which the entire drill string continues to rotate while
adjustable near-bit stabilizers force the drill pipe to become
eccentric within the wellbore, thus causing wellbore deviation to
take place.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one embodiment of the invention, a system for
directional drilling within a wellbore includes a drill string
having an upper portion, a lower portion, a bent motor coupled to
the lower portion, and a drill bit coupled to bent motor, and a
clutch assembly disposed between the upper and lower portions. The
clutch assembly is operable to rotationally disengage the upper and
lower portions of the drill string and allow the upper portion to
rotate while the lower portion does not rotate.
According to another embodiment of the invention, a system for
directional drilling within a wellbore includes a drill string
having an upper portion, a lower portion, a bent motor coupled to
the lower portion, and a drill bit coupled to bent motor, and a
ratchet assembly disposed between the upper and lower portions. The
ratchet assembly is operable to rotationally disengage the upper
and lower portions of the drill string during rotation in only one
direction and allow the upper portion to rotate while the lower
portion does not rotate.
Embodiments of the invention may provide numerous technical
advantages. Some embodiments may benefit from some, none, or all of
these advantages. For example, according to certain embodiments, a
clutch assembly associated with the drill string allows rotation of
a majority of the drill sting while preventing rotation of the
portion of the drill string that contains the drill motor and bit.
This substantially reduces or eliminates any static friction
between the majority of the rotated drill string and wall of the
wellbore, thereby allowing directional drilling with a bent motor
to be performed in an efficient manner. That portion of the drill
string between the clutch assembly and the drill motor and bit
includes enough weight to resist the reactive torque of drill
motor, thereby providing stability for maintaining orientation of
the bent motor assembly. This lower section slides along the path
of the wellbore while the rotating upper section, free from static
friction, effectively transfers the necessary force to advance the
sliding section ahead. In particular embodiments, the clutch
assembly may be actuated by altering the fluid flow down the drill
string.
Other technical advantages are readily apparent to one skilled in
the art.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system for directional drilling
within a wellbore in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention;
FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C are cross-sectional views of a clutch assembly
for use in the system of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment of the
present invention;
FIGS. 3A and 3B are cross-sectional views of a clutch assembly for
use in the system of FIG. 1 according to another embodiment of the
present invention; and
FIGS. 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views of a clutch assembly for
use in the system of FIG. 1 according to another embodiment of the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system 100 for directional
drilling within a wellbore 103 in accordance with one embodiment of
the present invention. In the illustrated embodiment, system 100 is
being utilized for directional drilling to alter the direction of
wellbore 103 from a first direction 110 to a second direction 112.
Both first direction 110 and second direction 112 may be any
suitable direction below a ground surface 99. System 100 may be
used to drill a wellbore having any type of change in direction,
including without limitation, an articulated wellbore or any type
of wellbore (including an articulated or slanted wellbore) from
which one or more lateral wellbores are drilled.
In the illustrated embodiment, system 100 includes a drill string
101 having an upper portion 102, a lower portion 104, a bent motor
106, a drill bit 108, and a clutch assembly 200 disposed between
upper portion 102 and lower portion 104.
According to the teachings of particular embodiments of the
invention, clutch assembly 200 functions to disengage upper portion
102 and lower portion 104 to allow upper portion 102 to rotate
while lower portion 104 does not rotate. This facilitates drilling
wellbore 103 in second direction 112 more efficiently because the
rotation of upper portion 102 while drill bit 108 is directed in
second direction 112 (via bent motor 106) helps to overcome static
frictional forces associated with the engagement of drill string
101 with the wall of wellbore 103. Among other advantages, this
avoids having to use vibrating devices or rotary steerable systems.
The practice of cyclically "rocking" or "winding up" the drill
string to help overcome this friction also becomes unnecessary.
Various embodiments of clutch assembly 200 are described below in
conjunction with FIGS. 2A through 4B.
Upper portion 102 and lower portion 104 of drill string 101 may
each have any suitable length and any suitable number of drill pipe
sections; however, in particular embodiments, lower portion 104 has
a sufficient length and weight to resist the reactive torque of
drill bit 108 while drilling. In one example embodiment, the
reactive torque of drill bit 108 is counteracted by having lower
portion 104 with a weight of at least 10,000 pounds and/or a length
of 1000 feet. Any suitable drill bit may be utilized for drill bit
108 and it may be driven in any suitable manner, such as a downhole
progressive cavity motor. Bent motor 106 may be any suitable device
that rotates and provides a slight angle to the drill bit 108 with
respect to drill string 101 to facilitate directional drilling when
lower section 104 is not rotating.
In operation of one embodiment of the invention, to drill in first
direction 110, a suitable drilling fluid is pumped down through
drill string 101 in the direction of arrow 113 while both upper
portion 102 and lower portion 104 of drill string 101 are rotated
in a first rotational direction, as indicated by arrows 114, 115. A
drilling rig 120 or other suitable drilling system may be utilized
to rotate drill string 101 and pump drilling fluid down through
drill string 101. Drill bit 108 is also rotated using a mud motor
or other suitable device. In order to have both upper portion 102
and lower portion 104 rotating at the same time, clutch assembly
200 is engaged. The bent motor assembly is continuously rotated and
the drilling direction is primarily straight ahead.
When it is desired to start drilling wellbore 103 in second
direction 112, the rotation of at least lower portion 104 is
stopped so that drill bit 108 may start drilling in second
direction 112. More specifically, the rotation of bent motor 106,
which is bent at a slight angle with respect to drill string 101,
is stopped such that the forward motion of drill bit 108 causes
drill bit 108 to drill in the direction of bent motor 106. In order
to prevent lower portion 104 and bent motor 106 from rotating,
clutch assembly 200 disengages upper portion 102 from lower portion
104 so that lower portion 104 stops rotating. However, upper
portion 102 keeps rotating in order to help overcome the static
friction between upper portion 102 of drill string 101 and the wall
of wellbore 103. This facilitates more efficient drilling in second
direction 112 by allowing more weight to be transferred to the
bit.
Depending on the configuration of clutch assembly 200, clutch
assembly 200 may be disengaged by increasing the flow rate of fluid
down through drill string 101, as illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B or
3A and 3B. For example, an initial flow rate may be approximately
one hundred fifty gallons per minute when clutch assembly 200 is
engaged, while a flow rate of approximately two hundred gallons per
minute may disengage clutch assembly 200. Other suitable methods
may be utilized to engage and disengage clutch assembly 200, such
as an electro-magnetic system, which sends a signal to clutch
assembly 200. In another embodiment of the invention, in order to
disengage clutch assembly 200, drill string 101 is rotated in a
second rotational direction opposite that of first rotational
direction 114. In this embodiment, the clutch assembly 200
resembles a ratcheting assembly, such as the one shown and
described below in conjunction with FIGS. 4A and 4B.
FIGS. 2A through 2C are cross-sectional views of a clutch assembly
200a according to one embodiment of the invention. In the
illustrated embodiment, clutch assembly 200a includes a housing
202, a piston 204, and a biasing member 210.
Housing 202 is rotatably coupled to a lower end 212 of upper
portion 102 and to an upper end 214 of lower portion 104 by any
suitable method such as bearings 203, which may be any suitable
bearings. Seals may also be utilized with bearings 203. Both lower
end 212 and upper end 214 may be formed integral with its
respective drill pipe segment of drill string 101 or may be
separate components that are coupled to their respective drill pipe
segment with suitable couplings or spacers (not illustrated).
Piston 204 is any suitably shaped element having a passageway 205
formed therein that includes a plurality of spline teeth 206 (FIG.
2B) that align with respective ones of a first set of channels 216
formed in the inner wall of lower end 212 and with respective ones
of a second set of channels 218 formed in the inner wall of upper
end 214. A longitudinal position of piston 204 determines whether
or not clutch assembly 200a is engaged or disengaged. In FIG. 2A,
piston 204 is in a position in which clutch 200a is engaged and
thus translates rotation of upper portion 102 to lower portion 104.
More specifically, spline teeth 206 of piston 205 engage respective
channels 216 and 218 such that piston 204 connects lower end 212 to
upper end 214. In particular embodiments, piston 204 may be
isolated in an oil bath (not shown).
To aid in maintaining the position of piston 205 as show in FIG.
2A, a suitable locking mechanism 219 may be utilized. Locking
mechanism 219, if utilized, engages a depression 221 formed on the
outside of piston 204 as a result of a biasing member 220 disposed
in a groove 222 formed in an inner wall of lower end 212. When an
adequate force is applied to an end of piston 204, then locking
member 219 retracts into groove 222 and compresses biasing member
220, which may be any suitable resilient member, such as a
spring.
Passageway 205 allows fluid flowing through drill string 101 in a
direction indicated by arrow 224 to flow through clutch assembly
200 (so that the drilling fluid may reach drill bit 108).
Passageway 205 may be any suitable size and any suitable shape.
This fluid flow exerts a force on a front end 223 of piston 204,
which is counteracted by a spring force, as indicated by reference
numeral 211, exerted on a back end 225 of piston 204 by biasing
member 210. In order to translate piston 204 downstream, force 224
needs to be increased to overcome both the spring force 211 and the
relatively small force exerted by locking mechanism 219 on piston
204. This is described in greater detail below in conjunction with
FIG. 2C.
Biasing member 210 may be a spring or other suitable resilient
member operable to exert a force on back end 225 of piston 204, as
indicated by arrows 211. Biasing member 210 may rest on a shoulder
226 associated with upper end 214 and may rest on a ledge 228
formed in back end 225 of piston 204. The size and force exerted by
biasing member 210 is determined by the desired flow rates for
drilling wellbore 103. For example, in one embodiment, a flow rate
of approximately one hundred fifty gallons per minute is utilized
during a normal drilling operation. In an example embodiment, a
flow of one hundred fifty gallons per minute applies a force 224 of
approximately thirty pounds to front end 223 of piston 204. Biasing
member 210 thus needs to be strong enough to resist this force in
order to keep piston 204 in the position shown in FIG. 2A. In order
to overcome force 211 exerted by biasing member 210 (when
disengagement of upper portion 102 and lower portion 104 is
desired), force 224 is increased by increasing the flow rate of the
fluid. This is illustrated below in conjunction with FIG. 2C.
Referring to FIG. 2C, piston 204 is shown in a position in which
clutch assembly 200a is disengaged. Piston 204 is disengaged from
lower end 212 and is engaged only with upper end 214. As can be
seen in FIG. 2C, biasing member 210 is compressed because force 224
has been increased. A locking mechanism 230, which may function
similarly to locking mechanism 219 described above, has engaged
depression 221 in the wall of piston 204 to aid in keeping piston
204 in that particular position. Locking mechanism 230 is an added
protection for any fluctuations of the fluid flow through drill
string 101 that would change the force 224.
Because of the positioning of piston 204, upper portion 102 of
drill string 101 may be rotated without rotating lower portion 104
of drill string 101. The direction of wellbore 103 may then be
changed from first direction 110 to second direction 112 (or other
suitable direction), as indicated in FIG. 1. After drill bit 108
has started drilling in second direction 112, then both upper
portion 102 and lower portion 104 may both be rotated again, if so
desired. This means that clutch assembly 200a would have to be
re-engaged. To accomplish this, the fluid flow through drill string
101 is reduced again to allow force 211 of biasing member 210 to
translate piston 204 back to a position in which spline teeth 206
engage both channels 216 on lower end 212 and channels 218 on upper
end 214, as illustrated in FIG. 2A.
FIGS. 3A and 3B are cross-sectional views of a clutch assembly 200b
in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. In
the illustrated embodiment, clutch assembly 200b includes a housing
300, one or more flanges 302, one or more pistons 304, and one or
more biasing members 308 associated with respective pistons
304.
Housing 300 may be any suitably shaped housing that includes one or
more channels 309 for accepting respective flanges 302. Housing 300
may be coupled to or formed integral with either a lower end 352 of
upper portion 102 or an upper end 354 of lower portion 104, and
flanges 302 may be coupled to or formed integral with either upper
end 354 of lower portion 104 or lower end 352 of upper portion 102.
In either event, flanges 302 are free to rotate with channels
309.
Housing 300 includes one or more chambers 306 that house respective
pistons 304 and biasing members 308. Biasing members 308 exert an
inward force on respective pistons 304 so that pistons 304 engage
respective apertures 310 formed in a wall of upper end 214 of lower
portion 104 (assuming flanges 309 are associated with upper end
214) when clutch assembly 200b is in an engaged position. In this
manner, when upper portion 102 of drill string 101 rotates, then
lower portion 104 of drill string 101 rotates. Flanges 302 fit
within channels 309 in order to provide longitudinal stability to
clutch assembly 200b so that the pistons 304 stay longitudinally
aligned with apertures 310.
In one embodiment, pistons 304, which may have any suitable shape,
translate into an out of apertures 310 depending upon the amount of
fluid pressure within the drill string 101. Biasing members 308
exert a force on the back side of pistons 304 to push pistons 304
into apertures 310. In order to release pistons 304 from apertures
310, the force exerted on the face of pistons 304 need to overcome
the force generated by biasing members 308. This is accomplished,
in one embodiment, by increasing the flow rate of fluid through
drill string 101. This increased flow rate increases the pressure
within drill string 101 and results in a higher differential
pressure between the face of each piston 304 and the back side of
each piston 304. When the differential pressure reaches a certain
value, pistons 304 translate back into chambers 306 and disengage
clutch assembly 200b so that upper portion 102 of drill string 101
can rotate without rotating lower portion 104. To ensure the
differential pressure acts on pistons 304, chambers 306 are coupled
to the outside of housing 300 with respective vent ports 312.
Thus, as indicated in FIG. 3A when clutch assembly 200b is engaged,
both upper portion 102 and lower portion 104 are rotating in the
same direction, as indicated by arrows 314. When the flow of fluid
through drill string 101 is increased, then a high differential
pressure existing between the faces of pistons 304 and the back
sides of pistons 304 causes pistons 304 to translate into chambers
306, thereby disengaging clutch 200b. Upper portion 102 may then be
rotated, as referenced by reference numeral 316 in FIG. 3B, while
lower portion 104 does not rotate.
FIGS. 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views of a clutch assembly 200c
in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. In
this embodiment, clutch assembly 200c functions like a ratcheting
assembly and includes a housing 400, a ratchet element 402
associated with a lower end 452 of upper portion 102, a pawl 404
associated with an upper end 454 of lower portion 104, and a
biasing member 406.
Housing 400 is rotatably coupled to both lower end 212 and upper
end 214 by suitable bearings 403, which may be any suitable
bearings. Seals may also be utilized with bearings 403. Housing 400
functions to provide stability for lower end 212 and upper end 214
so that the teeth associated with ratchet element 402 and pawl 404
properly align and function properly, as described below.
Ratchet element 402 and pawl 404 work in conjunction with one
another to allow lower portion 104 of drill string 101 to be
rotated by upper portion 102 in one direction only, as indicated by
arrow 410. As such, ratchet element 402 includes a plurality of
teeth 412 that align with a plurality of teeth 414 associated with
pawl 404.
Because of the way teeth 412 and 414 are angled, when upper portion
102 rotates in the direction indicated by arrow 410, then lower
portion 104 rotates in the same direction, as indicated by arrow
411. However, when it is desired to stop rotating lower section
104, then upper portion 102 is merely rotated in the opposite
direction to that of arrow 410, as indicated in FIG. 4B by arrow
415. The teeth 412 associated with ratchet element 412 then exert
forces on the angled surfaces of teeth 414 and essentially pushes
pawl 404 away from ratchet element 402 and slightly compresses
biasing member 406, as indicated in FIG. 4B, so that upper portion
102 may rotate freely while keeping lower portion 104
stationary.
Other suitable mechanisms other than biasing member 406 may be
utilized to allow pawl 404 to translate within upper end 214 of
lower portion 104. In an embodiment where biasing member 406 is a
spring, then biasing member 406 may rest on a shoulder 416 of upper
end 214 and rest on a ledge 417 associated with the back side of
pawl 404.
Although embodiments of the invention and their advantages are
described in detail, a person of ordinary skill in the art could
make various alterations, additions, and omissions without
departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as
defined by the appended claims.
* * * * *